Azerbaijani Journalist Honored On World Press Freedom Day

On World Press Freedom Day, UNESCO has awarded its Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize to Azerbaijani journalist Eynulla Fatullayev, who spent four years in prison on charges related to his work.

The UN cultural agency is highlighting this annual event aimed at celebrating media freedom by hosting a three-day conference in Tunisia, the country where the first Arab Spring protests took place.

The gathering will focus on the role of the media as a catalyst for change.

This year's World Press Freedom Day comes at a time when media watchdogs say independent journalism is increasingly under attack around the world.

Freedom House and the Committee to Protect Journalists both issued reports in the run-up to the May 3 commemoration warning of a dwindling number of free-press outlets and a rise in attacks on private media and Internet censorship.